REFLECTIONS

My daughter bought me a Storm Glass last Christmas and w hile I was browsing the internet I came across a very strange weather predictor from the same time period called the Tempest Prognosticator. Both are from about the 1860's. First let me show you the Storm Glass (Fitzroy Storm Glass) my daughter gave me. It's more decorative than practical but it looks great on my desktop.  Mine always stays in the same formation as the Warming image above. See m y earlier post:    REFLECTIONS: Search results for storm glass I have a theory that it may not work very well because the liquid is in a sealed glass vessel.  It can react to the temperature of the room; maybe even some sort of magnetic or static force if that is possible. But it can't react to atmospheric pressure like a barometer. Now I've seen some old photos of storm glasses sealed on top with a cork instead of being completely sealed in glass. The cork is soft and should allow some changes in atm

I copied this GIF from the web. It's been sped up.  The actual speed is much slower, too slow to detect. My Fitzroy Storm Glass is beautiful.  It's perfect for the desktop, sitting by my Sterling Engine. From Wikipedia: FitzRoy was a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate daily weather predictions... He achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage. Internal and external troubles at the Meteorological Office, financial concerns as well as failing health, and his struggle with depression took their toll. On 30 April 1865, Vice-Admiral FitzRoy died by suicide by cutting his throat with a razor. FitzRoy died having exhausted his entire fortune on public expenditure. How he said the storm glass works: "if fixed, undisturbed, in free air, not exposed to radiation, fire, or sun, but in the ordinary light of a well-ventilated room or outer air, the chemical mixture in a so-called storm-glass varies in chara

A short time after I wrote this last week the clump fell to the bottom. I'm going to use my wife's hair dryer to heat the liquid until all of it dissolves. Then it will have a new start. I think it does not actually predict anything but it's fun to watch.